Newsline

Baseball drops 15-14 slugfest

Release Date:

April 21, 2008

Contact:

The Office of Sports Information

(716) 649-7900 ext. 333

HAMBURG, NY – Brockport State came from two down in the ninth inning to sneak out a 15-14 win over Hilbert College in NCAA Division III baseball action Monday afternoon. Nine different Hawks chipped in to out hit the Golden Eagles 19-14, but the visitors couldn’t hold an early 6-0 lead at Clark V. Whited Field. Both teams combined to strand 20 runners on base as nine different pitchers went to the mound in the three hour 43 minute contest.

Hilbert struck first with two runs in the first inning before plating four more in the third to take a commanding 6-0 lead early in the game. Brockport would cut the deficit in half with three runs in the bottom of the inning before grabbing their first lead at 8-7 after a five-run fifth. The Hawks trailed 12-11 heading into a wild ninth inning and came away with three runs on four hits after two Golden Eagle errors.

Hilbert sent Matt Schoepflin (Chaffee, NY/Holland) to the mound with a 14-12 lead in the ninth, but the right-hander ran into trouble while just one out away from a win. After walking in two runs to knot the game at 14-14, Brockport’s Jake Privitera connected on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded to single in the winning run.

Hilbert got a stunning performance out of Frank Simmeth (Cheektowaga, NY/St. Mary’s) who finished four for five with a double, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Brandon Brown (Lyndonville, NY/L.A. Webber), Matt Begeal (Northville, NY/Wells), and Kevin Murphy (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon) all finished with three hits and at least one run scored, and Dave Cunningham (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) finished with two hits and joined Brown with a homerun for the second straight game.

The Golden Eagles (16-15) got big games from Kris Gentzke and last minute hero Privitera who combined for six hits, four runs, and four RBIs. Brockport drew 11 walks on the day while swapping 11 stolen bases before relief pitcher Jon Eckert picked up the win.

Hilbert (4-22) will return to action Wednesday with a double-header at home against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) foe Penn State Behrend.

Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship, and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. The Hilbert Blueprint promotes a well-rounded student experience over four years – starting with the Foundations Seminar in the freshman year, followed by Sophomore Service, Junior Symposium, and culminating with the Senior Capstone. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners.